the country, in a small but slated house, within view of the end of the
avenue. I remember him bare footed and headed, running through the
street of O'Shaughlin's town, and playing at pitch and toss, ball,
marbles, and what not, with the boys of the town, amongst whom my son
Jason was a great favourite with him. As for me, he was ever my
white-headed boy: often's the time when I would call in at his
father's, where I was always made welcome; he would slip down to me in
the kitchen, and love to sit on my knee, whilst I told him stories of
the family, and the blood from which he was sprung, and how he might
look forward, if the _then_ present man should die without childer, to
being at the head of the Castle Rackrent estate. This was then spoke
quite and clear at random to please the child, but it pleased Heaven to
accomplish my prophecy afterwards, which gave him a great opinion of my
judgment in business. He went to a little grammar-school with many
others, and my son amongst the rest, who was in his class, and not a
little useful to him in his book learning, which he acknowledged with
gratitude ever after. These rudiments of his education thus completed,
he got a-horseback, to which exercise he was ever addicted, and used to
gallop over the country while yet but a slip of a boy, under the care
of Sir Kit's huntsman, who was very fond of him, and often lent him his
gun, and took him out a-shooting under his own eye. By these means he
became well acquainted and popular amongst the poor in the
neighbourhood early; for there was not a cabin at which he had not
stopped some morning or other, along with the huntsman, to drink a
glass of burnt whiskey out of an eggshell, to do him good and warm his
heart, and drive the cold out of his stomach. The old people always
told him he was a great likeness of Sir Patrick; which made him first
have an ambition to take after him, as far as his fortune should allow.
He left us when of an age to enter the college, and there completed his
education and nineteenth year; for as he was not born to an estate, his